Packless valve assembly



Sept. 10, 1940. G. SIFKOVITZ 2,213,999

PACKLESS VALVE AS SEMBLY Original Filed Sept. 12, 1936 :3: V I I IF. 1 i'1 n 12 32 E8 g L! H 34- 7% E I SIM 50 32 16 \rlo v A I ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,213,999 PACKLESS VALVE ASSEMBLYGeorge Sifkovitz, Saegertown, Pa., assignor to The George Valve Company,Saegertown, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Original applicationSeptember 12, 1936, Serial Divided and this application June 3, 1938,Serial No. 211,50?

Claims.

This invention relates to valves and particularly to a paokless valveassembly. This application forms divisional subject matter of mycopending application, Serial No. 100,487, filed septem ber 12, 1936.

An important object of this invention is to provide a packless structurefor valves which is adapted to withstand high fluid pressures in thevalve body and yet will allow movement of parts 1,; without leakage.More specifically, this invention comprehends a paokless metal ringassembly through which a rotating element of the valve operatingmechanism is movable. The assembly is constructed in a novel manner toreduce the N effect of the fluid pressure on the sliding contactingsurfaces and allowing constant freedom. of movement irrespective of theamount or the variation in the fluid pressure. In addition, novel meansis provided for varying the pressure at 20 which the contacting faces ofthe assembly engage one another so that adjustment for wear can beeasily made. Fluid sealed contact between the metal parts in the metalring assembly is obtained by providing smooth precisely finished faceson 2.5 these parts preferably formed by machine finishing the faces.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of a novel valveadjuster or compensator which forms an adjustable but leak-proof 30structure assisting the paokless metal ring assembly, in sealing thevalve. The compensator extends through the valve body where it may beeasily regulated from. the outside of the valve.

Various other objects, advantages and meri- 3;. torious features of theinvention will become more fully apparent from the followingspecification, appended claims, and accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a valve 49 structure illustratingone embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the parts of the paokless metalring assembly and the manner of assembling the same together.

Referring to Fig. 1, the paokless valve structure illustrated therein isshown associated with a globe type of valve but it is understood thatthe invention is readily adaptable to other types of valves. In Fig. 1,the body of the globe valve is 5Q indicated at H]. It is opened at oneend and a cap or bonnet I2 is removably secured thereto by bolts I 4.Extending longitudinally through the valve body is a valve stem member I6 carrying a valve head l8 adapted to engage a valve seat 20 M and closethe valve. The valve stem is enlarged at 22 and novel means describedand claimed in my cope-riding application, Serial No. 211,508, filedJune 3, 1938, is associated with this enlarged end for frictionallyretarding the rotation of the valve stem. Connecting the valve head Hito the valve stem I6 is a novel swivel joint assembly also de-.

scribed and claimed in the aforesaidcopending application. I

The valve head carries novel seat wiping and protecting elements 24 and26 similar to those described and claimed in my copending application,Serial No. 100,487, of which this application forms a division. Theseelements are flexible and will spread apart and expose the valve seatingparts as the valve head approaches the valve seata The valve stem I6 isexternally threaded as shown. It is threaded to a surrounding internallythreaded operating member 28 of cup-shaped formation. This memberrotates in the valve body and when relative rotation occurs between itand the valve stem it will cause the latter to advance toward or awayfrom the .valve seat depending upon which direction the member isrotated. The frictional retarding means referred to above, associatedwith the enlarged section 22, will restrain rotation of the valve stemuntil the valve head or the opposite end of the valve stem abutrespectively the valve seat or the closed upper end of member 28 with aforce greater than the frictional resistance of the retarding means.When this occurs, the valve stem will resistingly rotate with theoperating member 28 and further advance of the valve head is precluded.

The paokless structure which forms the feature claimed herein is shownassociated with the rotatable operating member 28. It is understood,however, that this structure may be associated with other movable orstationary parts in a valve assembly and may be modified for use inother types of valves. Referring to the drawing, the rotatable operatingmember 28 is provided with a radial flange or rim 30 which extends tosubstantially the inner wall of the valve body. The flange is preferablydesigned with circular inclined faces on the opposite sides thereof.These inclined faces are machine finished to provide ground joints aswill be more fully pointed out hereinbelow.

A fluid tight seal is provided about the flange 30 by means whichcontacts the inclined faces of the flange and is machine finished forthis purpose. This means comprises, as shown, a pair of ring-shapedmembers or washers 32 and 34 embracing the outer edge of the flangetherebetween. The inner wall of the valve body is recessed back toprovide a shoulder for receiving and supporting the member 32. The othermember 3 3 is threaded to the valve body above this shoulder as shown.When fully threaded, the outer margin of member 3'3 will abut the outermargin of member 32.

The inner faces of these ring-shaped members 32 and 3d are provided withcircular inclined surfaces adapted to bear upon the inclined faces onthe flange 30 of the operating member. These inclined surfaces aremachine finished for close fltwith the inclined faces of the flange andwhen bearing thereupon form a pair of ground joints sealing the rotatingmember 28. The compression with which the flange is gripped by thesemembers or washers may be varied by adjusting the threaded engagement ofmember 3 2. As wear takes place, slight adjustments of this nature maybe found to be. desirable. Furthermore, adjustment of member 3 will varythe resistance of the operating member 28 to the turning forces appliedthereto. If desired, washer may be threaded to the valve body likewasher 3 particularly in those cases where the valve is subjected tohigh fluid pressures. The bonnet l2 when secured to the valve body bearsupon the washer 34 and looks the same in adjusted position.

An important feature of this completely metal fluid tight seal is theability of one of the parts of the seal to move or rotate relative tothe others without impairing the sealing qualities in any respect. Inaddition, the seal is constructed in a novel way to prevent the pressureof the: fluid in the valve from affecting the turning or rotatingmovements of any member of the seal. This is true of the operatingmember 28 in the present embodiment of the invention. If a fluid underhigh pressure is admitted to the valve, part of it will escape, invalves of the kind illustrated, into the chamber housing the operatingmechanism and affect the movement of the parts.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention,

1 if the flange 3!] is to any extent exposed to the pressure of thisfluid in the valve, this fluid will tend to lift operating member 28 andpress the same against the valve body and the upper ringshaped memberwith such a force that it will increase the resistance of the operatingmember to turning movement and make it difficult if not impossible incertain instances to turn the operating member 28. This possibility isautomatically remedied by extending the washer 32 radially inward untilthe greater portion of the area of the flange Ell is protected from thefluid pressure. By covering the exposed parts of the opering member inthis way, the pressure of the fluid is prevented from affecting themovement of the operating member and it may be easily rotated at alltimes The pressure of the fluid in the valve is received by the washerwhich in turn transmits it to the valve body. In this respect, theassembly 30, 32 and 34 not only functions to provide a packlessfluid-tight seal but also to allow relative movement of the parts whileprotecting the same from the pressure of the fluid in the valve.

The top of the operating member 28 is provided with a shank 36 whichextends through a central hole in the bonnet R2. The exterior endsection of this shank is shaped to receive any suitable form ofoperating appliance for turning the member 28. Surrounding the shank isa compensating nut or gland 38 threaded to the bonnet. This nut servesas an auxiliary leakproof structure. The nut bears upon the upper end ofthe operating member 28 and threaded adjustment thereof will vary theresistance of the operating member to turning movements. Thiscompensating nut, in addition, acts to hold the operating member againstlongitudinal movement as a result of its action upon the valve stemmember [6.

What I claim:

1. A packless valve assembly comprising, in combination, a casing havinga cylindrical wall, a removable cap secured to one end of said casing, amember rotatable in said cap having a radial flange extending laterallytherefrom to adjacent the inner surface of the wall of said casing, aring-shaped member contacting one side of said radial flange, aring-shaped member likewise contacting the other side of said radialflange, said flange and said ring-shaped members having contactingfinished surfaces adapted to prevent the passage of fluid thereby but topermit rotation of said flange relative to said ring-shaped members, andmeans adjustably securing said ring-shaped members to the wall of saidcasing and adapted upon adjustment to vary the compression with whichsaid ring-shaped members grip said radial flange.

2. A packless valve assembly comprising, in combination, a valve body, aring-shaped member supported by said valve body and extending radiallyinwardly thereof, a rotatable valve operating part having a radialflange supported upon said ring-shaped member, a second ringshapedmember bearingupon the top side of said radial flange, the contactingsurfaces of said radial flange and said ring-shaped member being machinefinished to provide fluid tight ground joints between the parts, one ofsaid ring-shaped members being threaded to the valve body for adjustmenttoward and away from the other member to vary the degree of compressionwith which said members grip said radial flange, and means for exertingpressure in an axial direction upon said threaded member to lock thesame in adjusted position.

3. A packless valve assembly comprising in combination, a valve bodyopened at one end, a bonnet removably secured to said body for coveringsaid opening, a rotatable Valve operating member in said body having aradially extending flange, said body provided with an inner circularshoulder adjacent its opened end, a ring-shaped member seated on saidshoulder and adapted to form a support upon which the radial flange ofsaid rotatable operating member bears, a second ring-shaped membersuperimposing the radial flange of said operating member and threaded tosaid valve body for adjustment upon said radial flange, the contactingfaces of said radial flange and said ring-shaped members being machinefinished to form ground joints between the parts, said bonnet bearingupon the superimposing ring-shaped member and locking the same inadjusted position.

l. The invention described in claim '3 characterized by the fact thatthe rotatable valve operating member has an operating shank extendingthrough said bonnet to the outside of the valve assembly, and that a nuton said shank is threaded to the bonnet and bears on the upper end ofthe operating member whereby upon adjustment the nut will vary theresistance of the operating member to rotation.

5. A packless valve assembly comprising, in

combination, a valve body, a rotatable member in said valve body havinga radial flange extending laterally toward the Wall of the valve body,said radial flange having radially extending ground surfaces separatedby inclined ground surfaces on the opposite sides thereof, a pair ofringshaped members secured to said wall of the valve body and extendinginwardly thereof and embracing said radial flange on opposite sidesthereof, the inner surfaces of said members provided with radiallyextending ground surfaces and inclined ground surfaces corresponding tothose on said flange and contacting the ground surfaces of the latter toform a fluid seal while permitting rotation of said flange therethrough,

GEORGE SIFKOVITZ.

